Boiler-feeder



A. l. SMITHERS.

BOILER FEEDER.

APPLICATION HLEDMAR. a, 1920.

, 1,363,283. Patented Dec-28,1920. v

JNVENTOR A 'TTORNE'Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR J. SMI'II-IERS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

BOILER-FEEDER.

Application filed March 6,

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. SMITHERs, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Feeders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a boiler feeder and particularly to a device for feeding the condensate from steam which has been used for industrial purposes .or for heating purposes back to the boiler.

My invention contemplates an accumulator or tank into which the condensate may be initially fed and to provide means whereby air above the accumulating body of water within the accumulator or tank may be exhausted as the air is displaced by the water or condensate, the exhaust of the air continuing until such time that the condensate reaches a determined level, whereupon the air exhaust will be closed and steam will be admitted to exert pressure upon the body of water or condensate and force it into the boiler, the action being entirely automatic and in response to variations in the level of the water within the accumulator tank.

An important feature of my invention is that the alternate opening and closing of the air exhaust and the steam inlet may be accomplished with appreciable snap or speed, it being desirable that the steam be admitted simultaneously with the cutting-oil of the air exhaust and it being furtherdesirable that the air exhaust be wide open while the steam port is closed and that the steam port be wide open while the air port is closed 5 that is, it is desirable to have the valves operated so that they will be moved to full unseating position or full seating position, as'the case may require,

Novel mechanism is provided for accomplishing th e desired result and this forms an important feature of my invention, the specific details of which will be referred to hereinafter.

In the drawings,

-- Figure I is a view partly in perspective Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920. 1920. Serial No. 363,763.

and partly in section of a boiler feeder constructed in accordance with my invention.

I v Fig. H is an end view of the valve operating mechanism. 7

Fig. III is a sectional view of the valve stem, showing the actuating shaft head in elevation, and

F 1g. IV is a sectional viewthrough the valve stem, showing the head incross section.

Referring now to the morals of reference: I

1 designates an accumulator tank or receptacle having an inlet port 2 in communication with a pipe 3, connected to the source of condensed steam or other water supply. The pipe is provided with an inwardly opening check valve 4; that is, the check valve opens in the direction of the receptacle, and the port 2 is connected to another pipe 5 having an outwardly opening check valve 6 therein, corresponding to the check valve a but opening in the direction of the arrow or away from the receptacle 1. Therefore, it will be apparent thatthe condensate or water may enter thereceptacle 1 only through the pipe 3 and discharge therefrom only from the pipe 5.

Within the receptacle 1 is a float 7 mounted a suitable distance above the bottom of said receptacle on a rock shaft 8, which in turn is mounted in a gland or packing box 9 in the side wall of the receptacle 1. The float and its stem 10 constitute a buoyant crank on the shaft 8, which extends in a diametrically opposite direction to the crank arm 11 on the outside end of the shaft 8, the crank arm 11 operating certain valve mecha nism with which it is associated.

Adjacent to the upper end of the accumulator chamber 1 is a valve chest 12, hav ing an outwardly opening air exhaust port 13 and an outwardly opening stem inlet port 14, the ports 13 and 14 being at opposite ends of the chest, and closed by the valves 15 and 16, respectively, connected by the stem 17 so that when one valve is seated, the other will be open; Therefore, when steam is admitted to the chest, the air port will be closed and when air is exhausted from the chest, the steam port will be closed. The steam is adapted to be supplied from the boiler pressure or other suitable source of supply through the medium of a pipe 18, adapted to communicate 'with the chest drawings by nuthrough the bottom inletl l and the air is adapted to exhaust from the space above the water in the accumulator tank 1 through the pipe 19, communicating with the upper space of the accumulator 1 and the chest 12. The pipe 19 not only serves as a passageway or conduit for the escape of the air but also serves as a steam conduit for when the air exhaust valve is closed, the steam inlet valve will be open and the steam may pass through the same to pipe 19, through which the air had been previously exhausted.

It is desirable that the closing movement of the valve being seated be relatively quick and that the opening movement of the valve being unseated be equally rapid because it is not desired that there be any intermission between the cutting-off of the exhaust and the admission of the steam or vice versa,

and by reference to the drawings, it will be appreciated that a relatively slow movement of the valve which would permit the closing movement of the airrexhaust valve and a corresponding slow movement of the steam inlet valve, would permit some of the steam to be lost through the port 13. Since the accumulation of the water in the tank 1 will raise the level gradually, it will be apparent that any movement which depended upon the float alone would be too slow for practical purposes. I have, therefore, provided a valve tripping mechanism which will throw one valve into closing position and the other into opening position instantaneously and I am thus enabled to make a rugged structure in that a steam valve and air valve may be rigidly connected together for a single valve stem and operated from an actuator shaft to be presently described.

Mounted in the bearing 20,preferably carriedby the side wall of the accumulator tank 1, is a transverse rock shaft 21, pro vided with a crank arm 22, connected to the arm 11 by a' link 23. The rise and fall of the float 7 will, through the'medium of the shaft 9, arm 11, link 23 and crank arm 22, rock the shaft either clockwise or contraclockwise and I have provided an adjustable arm 24 upon the rock shaft 21, on the free end of which is a weight 25 serving as a counter-balancing weight to cause a rela tively quick rotative movement of the shaft 21 when the weight'25 has been tilted beyond a determined angle. The weight 25 besides assisting in the operation of the tripping mechanism also serves to maintain the float partially submerged and it prevents vibration of the float by any agitation of the liquid within the tank.

The end of'the shaft 21 carries two radial arms 26 and 27, which are provided with lateral'project'ions 28 and 29 between which extends an arm 30 on the shaft 31,

al-ini-ng with the shaft 21 and mounted in a stuffing .32 of theval-ve chest 12. The

open

shaft 31 is also provided with radial arms 33 and 34:, which have lateral extensions 35 and 36, corresponding to those designated 28 and 29 for'the arms 26 and 27 and the extensions 35 and 36 are in the path of the arm 30' on shaft 31 and which carries the weight 37. The opposite end of the shaft 31 is provided with oppositely disposed cams 38 and 39, which open in the slot or cut-out portion 34, having overhanging flanges or lips 40 and 4:1 to embrace the sides of the cams so that the head formed by the cams cannot be accidentally disassociated with the stem 17, although the head may be readily assembled with relation to the stem because the slot 42 is open on both sides.

If the parts are properly assembled and the water level in the accumulator tank 1 is relatively low, the float will be depressed or hang from the shaft 8. The water or condensate may enter the accumulator 1 through pipe 3 but not through pipe 5 because the valve a opens in the direction of the. accumulator. When a sufficient volume of water has accumulated in the accumulator tank 1, to actuate the float 7 the float will begin to rise and as it rises, the crank arm 11 will be depressed, pulling down on the arm 22 and throwing over the weighted arm 24; until it is out of balance, when the projection 28 will strike the arm 30,throwing the weight 37 out of balance so that the shaft 31will be rotated quickly, due to the falling weight. This will cause the head in slot 4C2 to raise the stem 17 closing valve 15 on seat 13 and unseating the valve 14 from the. seat 16. v

It is to be understood, of course, that as the water rises in the' accumulator tank 1, the air compressed by the rising column of liquid will be forced through the pipe 19 and through theopening 13 but that as soon as the volume of water is sufficiently high in chamber 1 to close off the port 13v and the steam port 1 1, then the steam will pass through the valve chest, through 19 and into the space above the column of .water and exert pressure thereon. This pressure will be effective in overcoming the I pressure of the water on the oil side of the valve 4 so the valve 4 will remain seated while the pressure will be suflicient toovercome the weight of the valve 6 or the steam pressure in the boiler, so the valve 6 will be'unseated and the, waterwill be forced by steam pressure through the pipe 5 to the boiler to augment the supply therein.

As the water recedes in the accumulator tank 1. the float will recede with it, raising the weight 25 as well as thearm 27 which will contact witharm 30-, raising it and slightly turning. the shaft 31 until the weight 37 is overbalancedin the opposite direction, whereupon it willbeain tofall and by contact with arm 5, will through the cams, quickly reverse the reciprocation or vertical movement of stem 17 so as to close off the steam port and open the air port, it being understood that there will be sufficient play of the cams between each alternation to allow a slight movement of the shaft 31 before the valve stem 17 is actuated. The valves 15 and 16 require but a small amount of movement in their opening and closing operations and the cams 38 and 39 operate to lock the valves in their open and closed positions.

It will be apparent that a device constructed in accordance with the above description and as illustrated in the drawings will be eflicient in operation, that the parts will automatically function in response to the variations of the liquid level in the accumulator tank 1 and that the device may be applied to existing types of boilers without materially changing their construction.

The invention is applicable to heating plants but I do not wish to be limited thereto as it is obvious that it may be used in connection with industrial plants or as a primary water feed if desired, although it is particularly recommended for feeding to the boiler condensate from steam which has given up its energy in the form of heat or power.

I claim:

1. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank, inlet and outlet pipes connected to said tank, a valve chest, a conduit connecting with the valve chest and with the tank, the chest having an air exhaust opening and a steam inlet opening, valves for said openings, an operating member for said valves, a valve tripping mechanism actuating said member for causing full closing and full opening movement of said valves, a float in said tank and float actuated mechanism for actuating the tripping mechanism, said operating member operating to lock the valves in their open and closed positions.

2. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank, inlet and outlet ports adapted to communicate with said tank, a valve chest, a pipe connecting the valve chest with the accumulator tank, an air exhaust valve in the chest, a steam inlet valve for the chest, an operating member for said valves, a valve tripping mechanism, and float actuated means for effecting an operation of the tripping mechanism, said operating member operating to lock the valves in their open and closed positions.

3. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank,

means for admitting fluid to said tank, a valve chest having a steam inlet port, and an air exhaust port, valves for the ports in the steam chest, an operating member for said valves, quick acting means for opening one valve and closing the other and fluid responsive means for actuating the quick acting means, said operating member operating to lock the valves in their open and closed positions. I

at. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank, means for admitting exhaust fluid to said tank, a valve chest in open communication with said tank and provided with an air exhaust port and pressure inlet port, valves for said ports, a rock shaft having a head for movement longitudinal to the valve stem, arms on said shaft and an over-balanced weight for actuating said arms, an

alining rock shaft separate from the first named rock shaft, arms on the second shaft for actuating said weight, a float in the accumulator tank, a connection between the float and the second mentioned rock shaft, and a second overbalanced weight to prevent vibration of the float and assist in the operation of the valves.

5. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank, a valve chest in open communication with said tank and having an air exhaust port, a pressure inlet port, valves for said ports, a valve stem rigidly connected with said valves and having a slot, a shaft, a cam head on said shaft operating in said slot, radial arms on said shaft having spaced projecting portions, a weight loose on said shaft and operating between the spaced projecting portions of the said arms, an alining rock shaft, radial arms on the alining rock shaft to contact with the said weighted arm, a float in the accumulator tank, an actuating connection between the actuating float and the alining rock shaft, and a wei ht fixed on the alining rock shaft to prevent vibration of the float and assist in the operation of the valves.

6. In a boiler feeder, an accumulator tank, means for admitting fluid to said tank, a valve chest having a steam inlet port, and an air outlet port, valves for the ports in the steam chest, valve tripping mechanism, float actuating means for effecting the operation of the tripping mechanism and supplementary means for preventing vibration of the float and assisting the operation of the tripping mechanism.

In testimony whereof I affix my si ature.

ARTHUR J. SMIT ERS. 

